IRJ at IAF 2025: The 29th edition of IAF, the International Exhibition for Track Technology, opened in Münster in Germany on May 20. Over 15,000 visitors are expected to join 190 exhibitors from around 20 countries over the course of the three-day event.
Opening the exhibition, Birgit Milius, president of the German Association of Rail Engineers (VDEI), spoke about a “massive amount” of infrastructure work expected to take place in Germany and across Europe over the next decade. “We need greater investment, although it is not simply about more money” she said. “We need planning security for the future, greater digitalisation and more automation, as well as more people who are committed to developing the industry.”
Reiner Altmann, technical officer for track inspection supervision at German infrastructure manager DB InfraGO, spoke about the necessity of stabilising existing infrastructure, prioritising rails, points and bridges through standardisation and modularity. “We also need to train up many more people, especially technical specialists at middle-management level,” he said.
The IAF opening ceremony included the presentation of the VDEI Development Award. The €3000 prize was presented to Mirco Heitmann from the THM University of Applied Sciences in Germany for a technical paper published last October on the development and practical application of a vehicle-mounted multi-sensor system for measuring rail infrastructure.
